cheesy reuben calzones

Who doesn't love a good Reuben sandwich? I know I love it when they are made right. You know what I'm talking about, one that is on perfect thick rye bread, piled high with corned beef, a good amount of tangy sauerkraut, and dripping with warm melted cheese. And with all that said, I like to have a giant side of thousand island dressing to dip each and every bite into. YUM. The last time I had a Reuben that good was in NYC last October at Juniors Restaurant.

We sat right outside, right in the heart of Times Square. And let me tell you, their sandwiches were HUGE. They did not disappoint at all. It was one of those mile-high sandwiches that you see on those TV Travel shows that leave you drooling, keeping a mental note to visit that place for sure. Obviously their sandwiches were way to big to finish, even my husband (who can eat) did not finish. But being as full as we were we knew we had to have Juniors famous cheesecake for dessert. After all that is what they are famous for is the cheesecake with fresh strawberry sauce. Just writing all this is making me so hungry. I have no clue what they do to their cheesecake, it's a decades old recipe: so creamy, light and tangy . And the strawberry sauce on top just complimented the tanginess of the cheesecake so perfectly. The pics on their website doesn't do this cake and sandwich justice. If you know about Juniors (I know Adam knows about them, he better!) then you know exactly what I talking about in terms of quality and exceptional taste. With all this said, I had a craving for a Reuben, but didn't have any rye bread, just pizza dough and melded the two together. That crust, dipped in a bit of Thousand Island dressing was delish.

cheesy reuben calzones
print recipe

1/2 pound sliced corned beef
1/4 pound Swiss or provolone cheese
½ cup sauerkraut, drained very well
Thousand Island dressing
Pizza dough
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line baking sheets with Silpat or greased parchment paper.
Cut dough into 2 even pieces, 4 if you want smaller calzones. Roll out into a circle to about 1/4 inch thickness.
Spread some thousand island dressing in the center of the dough, use as little or as much as desired. Place a piece of cheese on top of the mixture and top with 3 to 4 slices of corned beef, then a bit of sauerkraut, make sure to squeeze out excess liquid in sauerkraut before using.
Finish off the pile with another slice of cheese.
Fold dough over the filling and pinch the edges shut, making sure nothing can leak out.
Repeat instructions for remaining dough.
Gently spread a bit of olive oil on tops of calzones (plus the crust) before baking, and if desired sprinkle with salt & pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika (I did all these). I always think its better to season the crust and tops.
Place on baking sheet and slice 2 to 3 holes in the top of the dough so that steam may release.
Place the calzones in the oven for 12 - 15 minutes (depending on oven), then remove from oven and top with any remaining cheese. (I used cheddar cheese for variety).
Return to the oven for 5 to 10 more minutes; keep an eye out for the dough to turn a nice golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes then slice in half.

Note: I used Whole Foods pizza dough. For me it just always tastes fresh, and it truly makes a perfect crust. The next time I make this I will try and use a whole wheat pizza dough for the texture, and a bit more thousand island dressing inside. I do think the swiss cheese tasted best. I might even add dill pickles to the inside this next time for that extra bite of twang.